The God of Jesters
Chapter 639 - 9.19.3 Die fast, live young.

Chapter 639: 9.19.3 Die fast, live young.

Since his birth, Malidi has understood one thing in his life. "I am different." These were the realization that struck him at the mere age of two. And at the age of three after learning the state of his family and how his own grandfather had tried to kill him, Malidi also understood that some normalization was needed in his life.

That is why he has worn a mask since then. The most he showed to the world was a prodigious boy who might have had a future on the path of Magic, but due to the suppression of outside forces, he can’t walk such a path and has remained nothing more than a simple mage scholar who did earn some accolades from time to time.

It was a ruse, a perfect ruse to hide his true interest. "Exorcism, is it?" At the age of six, he found a book on curses and the path of exorcists, finding it interesting how these mortals were capable of such strength without the use of bloodline or magic.

’Knowledge is the path of true knowledge.’

Formations, rituals, talismans, curse utilization, everything without ever affecting one’s body in any negative way.

But this path wasn’t without any weakness, the body of the practitioner would mostly remain mortal, meaning there wouldn’t be a life extension like other paths and no future of ever breaking the realm of Grand Master and entering the legendary ranks. Even if the Grandmaster level Exorcist could deal with threats way out of scope, but only due to their bizarre way of operating.

’A fault lies on this path.’ However, that fault was only due to the inherent desire for the Exorcism practitioners to keep their bodies clean of any influence. It’s no wonder that this was a dying path even during his own time.

Although it gives powerful control over the Curses, the fact that one’s body remains mortal is a great weakness in Malidi’s eyes.

This weakness became the reason why he could hide his mastery from the world, ascending through the ranks of an Exorcist easily and entering grandmaster at the tender age of seventeen.

"Not enough... if nothing is done, I won’t be able to see the world, the wonders it holds." Being stuck in Rudrain for all his life, Malidi had dreamed of a wider world, a wider expanse of knowledge that is not found in the libraries of the mages or nobles. The knowledge he can only find himself.

’I need to live longer, immortal if possible.’ A once-in-a-millennium genius who was never given a chance to walk the contemporary path, Malidi walked a bizarre one where he created a new path on his own.

A path that can be considered an evolution of the Exorcist, which Malidi deemed immortal.

Both the paths of Mage and Bloodline Knights were focused on accumulating and devouring the essence of the world and elevating one’s strength to the next level. But the path of Immortal was slightly different.

The world for all intent and purposes was filled with filth, and it’s such filth that made curses so easy to spread among the wide masses, It’s what strengthened it.

A kind of filth that is virtually impossible to purge, for this filth is what makes a human, human.

But Malidi sought a different path, he was going to take the core tenants of Exorcist to the extreme, and instead of keeping his body free of outside energies to keep it clean, Malidi started to purge the filth that made him human bit by bit, while refining the natural vitality of a person, a human free of any influence.

With time automatically started to attract the mana in the air and enter Malidi’s body on its own, though like air, after being absorbed by Malidi, it will capture the filth in Malidi’s body and leave, turning Malidi’s body purer and more inhumane as time went on.

"Humans are always the same, pride and deceit." Spitefully, Malidi spoke while turning his head to the two figures respectfully, his intent obvious. "A creature of emotion that can’t suppress your desire no matter how important the goal is... always leading to failures." His hands danced in the air, slowly sewing the injuries on Arbood, who appeared to be in a Groggy state.

"Filthy creatures, always causing trouble to me, always... ALWAYS!!" At the last shout of Malidi, the bleeding face of the priestess turned paler as her eardrums burst, while Alabasta was somewhat able to endure it.

"But no worries, your filth will become nutrients for the next step." Seeing that Arbood’s situation had stabilized, Malidi took a sigh of relief while looking at the group. "Get down." With those words, the duo fell down not eh ground with the Domain of the priestess cracking and returning the group to the library, which seemed to be unharmed for the moment.

"You... what are you," Alabasta spoke, finally free of the binds, but not daring to move at this point. His eyes that looked at Malidi were no more that of a man looking towards a dangerous enemy, but a man looking toward a god.

"I am a man... the purest of them all."

******

While the battle between the Legendaries still took place in the library, the battle outside reached the highest fever point. A giant made of Flames stood tall, striking the whole wide area, ignoring the destruction of the flowers in its wake as the blade cut in all directions, leaving Rosso no place to hide at all.

But this was good.

Currently in his hand was Farhad’s heart, which Rosso had stolen when he initially struck Vance with his blade. "The seals on the heart are heavy... breaking them without harming the heart will take time, so just crush the heart," I spoke directly into Rosso’s head, who appeared confused, and wondered if the Regeneration of Farhad was as perverse as his. However, even a new rebirth of his is due to the mutant bloodline talent born of the Blood heart bloodline.

"The curses are eternal, as long as there is the binding agent, that being Farhad’s soul, he will recreate a new body," I explained, while Rosso dodged another hit from the monster at the front, which is also when Rosso crushed the heart along with the seal on it while throwing it to the side.

And to his surprise, the words I spoke came true, forming what appeared to be a named little dog in a matter of seconds, before that dog took a humane appearance and then this figure was hit by Vance’s burning blade evaporating the figure in air.

"Unnecessary death," Vance spoke with some anger. He didn’t know what kind of blade he was hit with, but he had felt a level of discomfort since his injury and alienation from the flames that he wields now. But that’s it, he won’t falter so easily here.

As for the warning of Malidi? He was busy with his master about now, so he won’t have time to bother with Vance at the moment.

Which gave him the perfect opportunity to fight with all his strength.

Well, that was the plan, "What?" He saw a reformed Farhad drenched in dark flames with a red hue slowly rising with a body that appeared too bizarre to even mention.

A giant beast with eight arms and a giant lizard-like tale, with ulcers growing on the skin that soon solidified into something that can only be called Armor. "Farhad." There were no more words necessary at this point. Such mutations and strength that he felt, it was Farhad who was burned to ashes not too long ago, but now he is here, unharmed and ready to fight.

"I won’t kill you... But I will make sure you don’t harm us again." Farhad felt it all, the destruction of his body and even the feeling of being confined in the small space of his heart.

Such odd sensations did feel alien to him.

Early on, before rising to the ranks of grandmaster, he didn’t know what happened after his death, even his regeneration took time and most of all, he would lose memory with each rebirth.

But this time, it felt different.

This time, he was aware.

And this awareness made him realize one thing.

Remira might accept him, but those are personal choices of her. The rest won’t carry such values, no matter how much good he does, or how much he sacrifices for them. These people will always look at him and people like him with prejudice.

Not to the fault of their own, but due to one classic belief among these people.

"Either you are with us, or you are against us."

The tribal nature of humanity will always trump rational and understanding. It’s the core reason for conflicts to exist in this world. And Vance was not free from such a basic human nature.

"Then I suggest you do it fast, my master, and the rest will be here soon."